


I never wanted the wedding bells, but with you i can make and exception

by Mikiri_Tohoshima



Category: Tintin - All Media Types
Genre: Alternate Universe - Arranged Marriage, M/M, Other, offscreen death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-28
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-27 19:29:06
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,073
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22931023
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mikiri_Tohoshima/pseuds/Mikiri_Tohoshima
Summary: Haddock always wanted a life of freedom. But he is supposed to marry and live as an artistocrat like his mother wants.
Relationships: OC/OC, eventual haddock/tintin
Comments: 3
Kudos: 14





	I never wanted the wedding bells, but with you i can make and exception

**Author's Note:**

> This story is inspired by https://archiveofourown.org/users/Phsycopredgirl And her art on the tintin discord server.

There wasn’t anything that Captain Archibald Haddock loved more than freedom. That was the reason he became a sea captain, to travel and live adventures and visit new places on his own terms.   
His mother didn’t want him to leave the house, didn’t want him to always travel around the world, but Archibald liked the things as they were. Since he was a child he had always made his own decisions. Constantly fighting with his mother because he didn’t want to be part of the aristocracy and refused to follow the etiquette, preferring a good old run in the fields and play adventures, fighting against fantasy pirates and discovering treasures.   
He was the first and only born of his family. 

His father died when he was still a baby, leaving his mother with an immense fortune and a young rascal who didn’t want to put pants on. And that was when Geneviève came into help.   
Lady Rosa didn’t know what to do with her son, she was raised as a proper lady and married into an important family, and when she came to live in Moulinsart, in the countryside, she didn’t know it would have been so difficult to find a nanny. 

Geneviève was born in Bruxelles and lived in the city for all her life but when the agency she was working for found her a job, to help a noblewoman raise her only child and heir even if it was going to be in the countryside, she packed her things and departed almost immediately. 

Lady Rosa would have welcomed her with open arms but they were occupied by a very wailing infant, so Geneviève immediately started to work. 

The woman worked together with the new butler, a young man named Nestor who was fresh out of school to raise the noble child. But she knew that the temper of the boy was something she could never treat. 

As the years passed, young Archibald showed himself to be a reckless troublemaker with a heart of gold. Unable to resist creating mischief in the form of good deeds such as when he was stuck on a tree in the garden was because he wanted a little bird to go back to his nest.   
Or when apples kept disappearing from the dinner table because the laundress had 4 children and needed them more and so on. 

Lady Rosa hated this behavior, Archibald was supposed to learn how to invest money, how to stir the tea, and to play the piano. Geneviève thought the boy was never going to be anything his mother wanted him to be. 

Lady Rosa didn’t have many neighbors around Moulinsart given the position of the castle, but she tried to throw parties and invite everybody who was worth knowing. Between these people there was a young successful writer named Augustin. 

Lady Rosa loved to listen to him narrate his stories, while Archibald loved to hear how many adventures the young writer went on since he was a young boy.   
Of course every time Augustin finished the narration explaining how important it was to always keep a place where he could go back too, but Archibald was too lost in fantasies of jungles filled with vicious animals and shiny treasures to even care about everything else.   
The writer kept being a frequent visitor of the castle until the day when he asked Lady Rosa permission to marry Geneviève. 

The noblewoman was concerned about the request as Archibald was only five years old and still needed a nanny. Geneviève promised she wouldn’t stop working for her lady and after much reassurance in the end the noblewoman agreed to the wedding which would be celebrated at Moulinsart. 

Archibald was pretty confused when Geneviève appeared dressed all white one day hanging on the arm of a strange man. His confusion only seemed to grow even more when her stomach started to become big and round. 

During one of the many boring lessons of the day his nanny told him to put the ear against her belly and listen closely. She cooed sweetly to him telling him that there was a little one inside waiting to come out and play with him.   
Of course Archibald was left even more confused, but if her becoming that round meant having a new friend, well, he couldn’t wait more! 

Until the day that Geneviève didn’t come to wake him up one morning.   
Archie waited and waited for her to come but only Nestor appeared, helping him dress up before bringing him in the kitchen to have his breakfast. Archibald could notice that something was off. Everything was done in a dead silence. Nobody chattered or talked very much and when the servants spoke it was brief and soft held between them like a secret.  
When the young boy tried to ask why the spoke so softly or what was going on nobody had the heart to tell him what happened. 

When he finally met his mother for the daily greetings, Lady Rosa brought him close to her making him sit in the armchair beside her. 

“My dearest son, I'm afraid we have disgraceful news to tell you. Our dear Geneviève has passed away. This means that she can’t come back to stay with you. I am so sorry, and I will stay with you all you want.”   
Archibald was a little confused, he knew what “passing away” meant and asked his mother what happened to his “new friend”. 

“Oh, yes...I was told her baby is safe. Now come with me Archibald let’s go to the market and buy some flowers to bring them.” 

With Geneviève’s death, Archibald had to stay alone with only Nestor as company for several days following him along his numerous tasks. This continued until one day a young lady named Clarice made her appearance as the “new nanny.” 

Archibald didn’t like her at all, she smelled strange and she insisted that Archibald could never go outside and play in the big garden and tried to hide from her as much as he could. 

While he was hiding in a closet in his mother’s studio, he overheard the hushed discussion between Augustin and his mother. 

“I am sorry to ask you to help this way, Rosa, but I can’t take it anymore. I can’t work out my grief if at the same time I have to take care of the baby. I love them as much as I can, but I know I can’t give them the care they need. My mind is failing me and I am afraid I am going to lose it as well if I don't do something about it. I need help. I know you felt betrayed when I courted Geneviève and I know it’s my fault if now she... is no longer with us...” the man’s breaking choked voice was cut off by his mother’s gentle tone.

“It’s not your fault. Of course, I will help you. I just hired a new nanny for Archibald, I think she could help you raise...” her words trailed off as the man spoke again.

“Tintin. We decided for the name Tintin...” 

“I see. Now if you would excuse me...”   
Archibald crouched down as the soft footsteps grew closer, coming towards the closet he was hiding in. squinting at the bright light blinding him as somebody opened the doors. 

“I told you a thousand times to not hide in the closet. It's dangerous, Archibald. And eavesdropping is a horrible habit you should lose immediately. A gentleman doesn't eavesdrop and you want to become a gentleman, don’t you?” His mother’s voice was scolding and harsh as she stooped down to embrace her son.

Archibald struggled a little in his mother's embrace shaking his head. 

“No! I don’t want to become a gentleman; I want to be an adventurer!”   
Lady Rosa sighed, letting the child go, and looking at Augustin that was about to take his leave. 

“I know he’s still a child but sometimes I am worried he’s going to leave me as soon as possible...”   
Augustin put his hand on her wrist, nodding with a soft reassuring smile. 

“Only time will tell us what will be of young Archibald. Only time.” 

So, Nanny Clarice started to take care of both Archibald and the newborn Tintin. It wasn’t an easy job. Archibald needed constant stimulation as he didn’t want to spend his days learning how to read and write with his tutor but Clarice was a smart woman she may not really easily lovable, but she did her job right. 

Eventually she figured out how to coax the young boy into following along with her in lessons.  
“You know... all the adventures know how to write and read. They need to know French and English as well as Latin too, because how else can you read old inscriptions on the sunken ships?”   
“Math is really important for an adventurer; how can you understand how much worth is the treasure you found?”   
“Of course, my dear, etiquette is important for an adventurer, didn’t you read the last book of Monsieur Augustin? The hero in the end participated in a big party and had to meet the King!” 

The new way she conducted lessons made Archibald excited to learn.   
But trouble came when Tintin finally became big enough to speak and run. The two were inseparable and little Tintin was always on Archibald’s heels.   
Despite six years of age difference, you never saw one without the other and Moulinsart and its inhabitants were constantly assaulted by two troublemakers. 

Tintin was a smart child and became the brain of the two, while Archibald was the brawn.   
Seasons passed in the castle as the two learned and grew up together.   
Archie and Tintin spent long afternoons thinking about their lives and what they wanted to become. Tintin was still too young to decide but he wanted to become a writer like his dad.  
While Archibald wanted to travel far and wide, to see the world in all its glory. 

“Well, we could do it together couldn’t we? I need research for my writings, you know?” Tintin looked to Archibald smiling sweetly, the older boy nodded and hummed.

The day Augustin caught a fever and passed was when Tintin found that father was full of debts. His writer’s job wasn’t giving him enough money to survive. The child, only ten years old, had to watch the creditors empty his house and see his father’s body being buried in a nameless paupers grave. 

Lady Rosa wanted to welcome Tintin in her house and family, but some relatives of Geneviève who had come from Bruxelles decided that that wasn’t the right place for the child to grow in taking him back home with them. 

It all happened so fast that Archibald didn’t know what to do and before he knew it he was alone again. Tintin was such an important presence in his life even if so young, was almost a guide for his thoughts and a control for his impulses. So, when the day came and he was 17, he left his house to become a sea captain. 

He spent the next ten years of his life on the sea, not even looking back once.   
His mother kept sending him letters but he didn’t even read them anymore.   
His freedom was important and his decisions even more. Now he had the power to do everything he wanted, and could live the adventures he always longed for. 

After 10 long years when he was at Bruxelles harbor getting ready to leave again to another adventure, Nestor, his old faithful butler, came to see him. 

“Your mother is seriously ill, young master. We don’t know how long she will hold... she wants to see you for the last time, and to make you know your future bride.” 

“Bride? She wants me to marry some stranger? For real?” shock is clear in his voice as he stared at the aging man.

“Young master, these are your mother’s words. Please, just come to see her, Lady Rosa misses you terribly.” Nestor pleaded with the captain.

Archibald looked at his ship as she was almost ready for the departure before looking back at Nestor, Sighing heavily he knew there was only one thing to do. 

“Alright. I’ll pack my things. I can delay the sailing for another few days.” he gripped at the butler.


End file.
